Processes executing on a computer system will often require access to shared resources of the computer system, such as memory and the CPU, to meet quality of service (QoS) requirements and expectations. A process that executes in the background (a “background process”) may be required to execute on a regular basis. Typical examples of a background process include an anti-virus program and a backup program. However, the execution of background processes may have a negative impact to the quality of service of other processes due to conflicts with shared resources. For example, a background process that is taking a relatively large portion of the CPU's availability will result in other processes having less access to the CPU. Shared resources can become saturated by background process. When a process accesses a saturated resource, their access is delayed and the average response time increase, thereby causing the execution of the process, and the computer system as a whole, to slow down.